Does my boss wants his job back or just wants me to step down? (employees, credit)

[cgr68311]

I've been employed at this firm for almost 3 years. Began as IT operations supervisor for their largest campus (3k+ employees) then my boss (site & regional director) promoted/mentored me as site project mgr and then early this year he stepped down as site director and promoted me to site manager.

I took over and he focused as program mgr for the new campus building we are moving into. Yet all along he would make remarks that after the bldg project was finished he didn't know or want to be at the corporate headquarters, that he liked to be at the site and liked operations.

He has only handed off some of his former position duties and I went along. He no longer coached me although the first few months he would introduce/redirect directors and others to me as the new top IT person. Yet a couple months ago all of a sudden he began to arbitrarily making decisions such as some of my staff reporting to him.to which I objected and won back, or making himself the good guy and me the bad guy to the detriment of my position (his own words), or allowing/siding with other dept heads instead of supporting me. He would also exclude me and take credit of my projects during presentations. Needless to say my performance took a dive and lost some but not all motivation. I still managed to implement a new retail project and successfully merge IT operations with a smaller competitor we ventured with etc. Yet this week after an email altercation related to overstepping duties from a manager that he has been siding with, he pulled me into his office and attempted to demote me back to project mgr because I was not performing and also because of "strategic" reasons for me to be part of a group of site supervisors without site managers to be promoted to site project mgrs (in my case a demotion)

I kept my cool because he has always been too attached to his former position, he wanted to give it to me since two years ago but also didn't want to completely give it up, and recently probing me with questions such as how do you like project mgmt work? do you see a career in it, etc? He was surprised that I took it so well almost as if his plan was for me to resign on the spot (which he had actually done the exact same thing to someone else 3 years ago at a different location, with that guy being demoted from supv to team lead.)

He stated that he had both HR and his boss (VP) support. He did not know that I had already warned HR both anonymously and openly about his overreaching incidents into my position. I reasoned with him that he knew I had no managerial experience and would have appreciated the performance feedback when it happened not all at once and even questioned the coincidence of this meeting with me standing up to that other manager earlier that morning. I explained I was just trying to do my job and assert my position as this other mgr was attempting to take over some of my duties.

In any case, he changed his adamant mind to offering me a three month option to stay as the site mgr under a performance improvement plan We then met with HR two days later where I was presented the two options, to receive the demotion or be placed into PIP. I was very nice and apologetic, acknowledged most of his concerns and only provided mitigating factors for some of the performance concerns, brought up some ideas I had about receiving peer sign off for important work tasks, but said that I would only stay in my position as long as the PIP was informal meaning not entered as such in HR and thus affecting me to transfer to other position or location. They agreed that it would be more of a verbal consultation with a written coaching/improvement plan. So then I said alright, well before I give my final answer I would like to hear from my boss what his preference and recommendation would be as his was pretty adamant to demote based on strategic and performance reasons two days ago. I technically put him on the spot and said him and his boss would be fine either way.

I also reminded him that for me to be successful I would need a project manager to help me with my overflow just like he had me serve as project mgr when he was in my position. Because his regional position is budgeted in my budget I cannot afford that and he acknowledged that. So that's when I asked, so if at the end of the 3 months I go back to PM, how are you going to budget a backfill position for site mgr? - "well, I guess I would have to step in as manager again".

All this leads me to believe that he just wanted me to fill in his duties while he focused on the construction of this state of the art campus to which I am supposed to head the IT ops but apparently now he wants to lead saying that I have been too busy at the old campus and am not aware of all the new systems going into place at the mew bldg, etc.

Thoughts?

[greywar]

Ask him. Explain that if thats what he wants, to just let you know and you will work with him on it.

Because realistically if he wants it, he is probably going to get it. FAR better to work with him and be his friend, and eventually open up other opportunities, then to get into a clash with someone higher up on the ladder that can step on you.

And maybe end up learning those new things as well. Shrug.

[cgr68311]

thanks I guess I could have been more direct. I told him though that I would follow his recommendation and said was fine either way

[greywar]

Originally Posted by cgr68311

thanks I guess I could have been more direct. I told him though that I would follow his recommendation and said was fine either way

Probably your best option, but very frustrating as well I can imagine. Good luck!